Gen X women are all too familiar with hairspray (insert Aqua Net joke here). Obviously, it’s a great tool for keeping your hair in place while adding some shine and volume.
But like we learned this year with items like dryer sheets and even old mayonnaise, some common everyday items can have unexpected uses around the home, with hairspray being no exception.
Many of us are probably aware of hairspray’s ability to help stop a run in pantyhose, but we’re betting you didn’t know hairspray could do any of these 12 things.
1. Get Rid Of Price Tag Residue
Those price tags on things like dishes and serving platters can leave behind a sticky residue, but that’s not a problem when you have a little bit of hairspray. Coat the problem area with a layer of hairspray and let it sit. The remaining adhesive will be broken down by the alcohol in the spray, so you can simply wipe it off with a wet cloth after about 10 minutes.
2. Keep Flowers Fresh
A beautiful bunch of fresh flowers has a limited life span, but you can use hairspray to extend it. To help the blooms last as long as possible, use this beauty staple to seal in the freshness and prevent the colors from fading. Simply hold a bottle of hairspray about a foot away from your flowers and spray the undersides of the petals and leaves.
3. Take Care Of Loose Screws
If you have a screw that has a habit of loosening up no matter how much you tighten it, hairspray can help. Tighten that screw the best you can and coat it with the spray. When it dries, it will create a polymer seal to stop the screw from loosening.
4. Tackle Unwanted Pet Hair
We all love our pets, but some of them have a habit of leaving their fur behind after a nap on the couch. To remove that unwanted hair, you don’t need a lint brush or some other fancy tool. Simply spray a generous amount of hairspray onto a washcloth and start dabbing, and the loose hair will immediately cling to the cloth.
5. Thread A Needle With Ease
The struggle is real when it comes to threading needles, but it doesn’t have to be. Spritz some hairspray onto the tip of the thread to stiffen it, and it will easily pass through the eye of the needle without fraying.
6. Preserve Your Children’s Artwork
If your child produces pencil-drawn masterpieces that you’d like to add to the family scrapbook or memory box, you can preserve that artwork with a light mist of hairspray to prevent smudging. This method also works for chalk art.
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7. Make Slippery Shoes Less Slippery
If you have a new (or old) pair of shoes with slick bottoms, avoid falls by spraying the bottoms with a layer of hairspray. Give it a minute to dry, and it will create traction and stop your soles from sliding.
8. Accelerate Nail Drying
Fingernail polish can take forever to dry, but you can accelerate that process by spritzing your nails with hairspray. The aerosol will not only speed things up, but will also create a chip-proof coating to protect your manicure. Win-win!
9. Get Rid Of Static Cling
Avoid a static cling-induced wardrobe malfunction with a little bit of hairspray. Tame a dress or skirt by spritzing some on your hands and rubbing it on your clothing or tights to reduce the static cling without damaging the fabric.
10. Prevent Pollen Stains
Pollen grains from fresh flowers, like lilies and tulips, can fall off and cause some serious stains on fabric and carpet. They can be extremely difficult to remove, so avoid that problem from the get-go by spritzing some hairspray on the stamens when you bring fresh flowers into your home.
11. Preserve Leaves
Wreaths are a fabulous year-round decor item. If you’re a crafter who wants to create your own using real leaves, you can preserve them with some hairspray.
Start by patting the leaves dry with a cloth until any moisture is gone, then cover both sides with hairspray so they don’t turn brown. This will make the leaves easy to incorporate into crafting projects while preventing them from wilting.
12. Hold Those Eyebrows In Place
Okay, this one is beauty routine-adjacent, but it’s definitely worth mentioning. If you have unruly, stubborn eyebrows, hairspray can help. Spritz some on your finger (or a spoolie), then wipe that finger over each brow—starting on the inside and moving outward—to keep those crazy hairs right where you want them.
